Roast Carrot Salad with Farro, Feta and Spiced Citrus Vinaigrette

This is another visual beauty, and it tastes even better than it looks. The saltiness of the feta, combines perfectly with the spiced dressing and the faro and carrots ground everything. The mint and parsley add a fantastic freshness to the whole dish.

Farro is a grain available at delis or middle eastern stores. Cook it like pasta, in boiling salted water til al dente, then drain well. You can substitute the farro for quinoa, barley or freekeh.

1 bunch dutch carrots or 3 large carrots cut into sticks

2 cups spinach

1 cup cooked faro

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

½ cup chopped pasley

½ cup shredded mint leaves

½ cup slivered almonds, toasted

½ cup pomegranate seeds

150g feta cheese, sliced or crumbled

dressing

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup orange juice

½ tbspn cinnamon

½ tbspn orange zest

½ tbspn lemon zest

2 tspn maple syrup

¼ cup olive oil

good pinch sea salt

good grinding of pepper

Combine ingredients for dressing and set aside. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and roast carrots for 40 mins or until golden and tender. Combine all ingredients except feta. Pour over dressing reserving 2 tbspns. Toss salad. Scatter over feta and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Chermoula Salmon with Parsley, Fennel and Lemon Salad

Chermoula is a North African spice made from a heady combination of cumin, paprika, chilli, mint and coriander among other things. You can buy chermoula as a spice or paste from delis, middle eastern stores or spice stores, or be adventurous and make your own! Once you have the spice mix, this dish takes 5 minutes to prepare and cook and looks super impressive and like you spent a lot more time slaving in the kitchen. Be sure to serve it with plenty of fresh lemon.

4 pieces of salmon, skin off, cut into scallop sized pieces (ask your fishmonger to do this for you)

3 tbspn olive oil plus extra for drizzling

3 heaped teaspoons of chermoula

good pinch sea salt

1 bunch parsley, leaves only

1 fennel or 2 baby fennel thinly slice (a mandolin is ideal for this)

1 tspn baby capers

1-2 lemons cut into wedges

Place the fish, oil, chermoula and salt in a snap lock bag and shake until fish is evenly covered. Leave to marinate for half an hour if you have time. If not, don’t worry. Preheat the grill to 220 degrees. Line a baking tray with foil, and place the fish pieces on it, taking care to separate each piece. Grill the fish for 2-3 minutes, turn pieces over and put back in the grill for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, place the parsley, fennel and capers on a serving plate. Top with cooked fish, drizzle with extra olive oil and squeeze over lemon wedges. Leave lemon wedges on the plate for colour and flavor.

Friday Avocado

I call this Friday avocado because it is a staple at my family’s Friday night dinner and even though it is delicious, for some reason, we never have it on any other night. It is best served on Challah, a sweet braided bread similar to brioche, but is also fantastic on crackers, on rye bread with smoked salmon or on toast with sliced tomato and feta. Use flaked sea salt and good quality balsamic vinegar.

2 avocadoes

¼ red onion sliced as finely as you can

good pinch of sea salt (be generous)

good grinding of black pepper

2 tbspn quality olive oil

2 tspn balsamic vinegar

Use a teaspoon to scoop out chunks of avocado. Place in a bowl and top with onion slices. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Enjoy! 

Roast Beet Salad with Labne, Candied Walnuts and Orange

I love this salad. It is beautiful to look at and has many interesting textural elements that combine to make much more than the sum of their parts. The hard part is trying to get a bit of everything on your fork! This salad looks nicer on a flat plate or platter rather than in a bowl because it allows you to see everything. You can roast extra beets and make extra quinoa and keep them in the fridge because you will definitely want to make and eat this again, and soon. I also made this salad replacing the quinoa with farro, which I have included a picture of.

with farro

1 bunch baby beets

1 bunch golden beets (optional)

olive oil spray

sea salt

2 handfuls spinach leaves

1 cup cooked quinoa

½ cup candied walnuts

10 mint leaves, shredded

1 orange, cut into quarters and sliced

labne

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Trim, peel and halve or quarter the beets. Spray with olive oil and season with salt and roast for 30-40 mins or until tender.

To candy the walnuts, toss walnut pieces in a dry fry pan on medium heat until they start to tast. Remove from pan. Add 2 tspns castor sugar to pan, let it melt then return the walnuts and toss through the toffee. Place on a plate and leave to cool.

Combine spinach, quinoa, orange, beets and mint on a plate. Add walnuts and dollops of labne to your liking. Drizzle with good olive oil and balsamic vinegar and finish with a sprinking of sea salt.